AN ACROBAT OF THE HEART

March 29, 2006.

Two days after closing the shows I headed up to Carmel-by-the-Sea with a few friends to see our director’s plays. I’d never been up the central coast and it was stunning. We stopped at a winery to do a tasting (my first), stayed with a retired television director (think original Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, The Waltons, Dynasty and many more), attended two shows and a dinner party, drank wine in a hot-tub at 2:00AM under a sky full of stars, walked four miles around the beach, visited an art gallery, met tons of nice people and dogs, ate great meals, watched old movies and generally recuperated from the last six months.

Now I’m sick as a dog, in withdrawal and looking for work. Ahhh, the good life. The only thing keeping me sane is the knowledge that I will probably be acting again in a couple of months. I had an interesting moment yesterday when my former production coordinator said he’d have a film I could work on starting in May. I’d be in the production office again but this time it’s a chick flick directed by Carrie Fisher’s sister- a nice change from the horror genre. I was torn for a few seconds because it would mean three months of steady work and some nice contacts. But it conflicts with my up-coming acting project and I realized that my heart was not in the production office no matter how good the pay. So I guess it’s back to temping for the next two months.

I’m reading a wonderful book by Stephen Wangh called An Acrobat of the Heart. It explores the physical approach to theatre that I’ve become so infatuated with and he says that one paradox for the actor is that she must infuse her work with joy, enthusiasm and hope whilst making a living waiting tables. To quote the Simpsons, “it’s funny because it’s true.”